Tobacco pipe combination tool



TOBACCO PIPE COMBINATION TOOL Filed Jan. 3, 1947 I INVENTOR.

I HERBERT H-MmDLEToN Patented Jan. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT O FFICE Q 21536352 TOB'fiCfi P'iPE COMBINATION TOOL Herbegt H; Middleton; Wynncwood; Pat, assignor to John Middleton- Inc.-,= Philadelphia,- Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania I application Jan-easy 3, 1947', semi No; 719,967

' 2 claims. (01. ion-2'43) This invention relatesgenerally to an appliance for use by pipe smokers andmore par: ticularly to a combination tool,- the several elements of which may be compactly folded and housed within a casing therefor to provide a unit which is adapted to be conveniently carried: in

the pocket. More specifically, the present in-' vention comprises atoolhaving a handle simulating in appearance the handle or a pocket knife, saidhandle servingas the casing for a variety of implements, such as a set of reamers for cleaning the pipe bowl, a needle for cleaning the bore of thepip'e stem and a combination pipe bowl scraper and tobacco tamper.

While in the combination tool of the present invention the-several elements thereof are ply-'- oted within a casing for selective use of any one element as desired, the tool-is principally characterized by the fact that it is entirely devoid of springs or the like for retaining the elements in operative or inoperative position, the several elements being provided instead with interenga'g' ing means so arranged that upon swinging one element outwardly of its handle casing the other elemeht'sare commonly swung with it into posi--- tion for selective use of one of the several elements.-

Essentially, the device of the present-invention includes a plurality of tools whichvar'e generally in the form (if flat braces having interengaging means of such character as to provide for a most compact assembly of the tools within their casing, said interengaging means,- however being designed so that they do not interfere With the fanning out of these tools relatively to each other for individual use thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the inventionwill appear more fully hereinafter, it being unde'rs'tood that the same consists in the combination, construction, location andrelative arrangemerit of parts, all as described in detaillhereinafter, as shown in the accompanying-drawings and as finally pointed out in the appended clain'isi- In the accompanying drawings; which! illustrate a preferred construction embodying the principles of the present invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the combination tool;

Figure 2 is a top edge view thereof;

Figure 3 is a side view similar to Figure 1 showing the tools shifted out of the handle in which they are normally housedwhen not in use;

Figure 3A is an opposite side view of the device asshownin Figure 3;

2 Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the several tools in separated relation; v

Figure 5' is a sectional view on a somewhat enlarged scale taken on the line 5-4: or Figure 4;

Figure 6- is an elevational view of the pivotal end of the device;

Figure '7 is a sectional view taken on the line 1 of Figure 2; and g Figure 8 is an elevational view of the closed end of the device.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be observed that in its preferred form as shown, the combination tool of the present invention .in-* cludes' a bifurcated handle l0 which maybe formed of plastic, metal, bone, wood or any other suitable material, this handle being thus provided with a pair of parallel side parts Ill and I-O arranged to provide a space therebetween for accommodation of the several tool elements here inaiter referred to. These side parts are integrally connected together at one end of the han die by an intermediate part II and at the opposite end by a suitable pivot pin l2 upon which the several tool elements are commonly pivoted;

While the presentinventionis not limited to the use of the specific types of tools shown herein; and is not'limited to the specific number of tools employed in the embodiment shown herein, such tools preferably comprise a tobacco tamper it, a relatively broad pipe bowl scraper or borer i 4, a relatively narrow pipe bowl scraper or borer l5, and a more or less slender needle Hi adapted for insertion into the pipe stem for loosening any accumulation of. tobacco therein: All of these toolsare of fiat blade-like form andare adapted for fiat-wise engagement with each other; as shown; the tamper !'3 being providedat its free outer end with a laterally extending disc-like part I! formedintegral with the body of the tamper.-

As most clearly appears in Figures" 1, 3' and 4-,

, one of the sidewalls of the handle l0 wa vided adjacent an end thereof with a notchit which receives the discportion H of the tamper.

when the tamper is moved into the handle" oralso withdrawn therefrom commonly with the first tool element. Preferably, the tool element employed for efiecting such conjoint removal of all of the tool elements from within the handle is the tamper l3, the disc-like part ll of which projects laterally of the handle notch I8 sufficiently to permit it to be readily engaged by the thumb of the user of the device to swing the tamper outwardly of the handle about its pivot pin l2.

In order to effect the common shifting of the several tool elements from their handle-enclosed positions shown in Figures 1 and 2 into their outwardly extended positions shown in Figures 3 and 4, the element I4 is provided with a teat or projection 20 on the outer face thereof which is in flat-wise engagement with the body of the tamper I3, this projection being located adjacent one edge of said element for engagement by an edge l3 of the tamper body when the latter is moved relatively to the element M. This element I4 is also provided adjacent its opposite edge with a second tea-t or projection 25 presenting oppositely from the teat 28 for engagement with an edge l5 of the element l5,-while the latter is in turn also provided with a teat 22 presenting in the same direction as the teat 2| of the element M, the said teat 22 of the element [5 being adapted to engage an edge le of the needle I6. It will thus be apparent that upon swinging the tamper in one direction outwardly of the handle about the pivot pin, it engages the teat 20 of the element 14 to cause the latter to swing therewith about the pivot pin. The element 14 in turn engages the element IE to effect corresponding shifting of the latter, whereupon said element l5 engages and shifts the needle l6. Thus, upon shifting of the tamper l3 in the said one direction, all of the several elements are commonly moved out of the handle recess into positions as shown in Figures 3 and 3A wherein they may be conveniently fanned out or separated, as shown in Figure 4, for selective use as desired of any one of the tool elements.

By means of the interengaging relationship of the several tool elements as just described, their flat-wise nesting within the handle recess is accomplished without any portions thereof projecting beyond either longitudinal edge of the handle, the housing of the several elements within said recess being readily effected by the simple expedient of shifting them into their closely assembled relation shown in Figures 3 and 3A and then pressing the assembly into the handle recess wherein they are retained by their frictional engagement with one another and with the inner surfaces of the side walls of the handle recess.

It will be understood, of course, that the present invention is susceptible of various changes and modifications which may be made from time to time without departing from the real spirit or general principles of the invention, and it is accordingly intended to claim the same broadly as well as specifically as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. A compound tool of the character described comprising an elongated bifurcated handle having a pair of side Walls to provide a free space therebetween, a pivot pin extending transversely through both side walls adjacent the one end of the handle, and a plurality of tool elements pivoted on said pin and adapted to be swung into and out of said space in the handle, said tool elements being provided with interengaging means operative to effect common movement of all of said tool elements outwardly of the handle space-upon movement of one of said tool elements about its pivot pin, all of said tool elements being in the form of substantially flat members adapted to be assembled in fiatwise engagement with each other, said interengaging means comprising surface projections on certain of said elements and the peripheral side edges of adjoining other of said elements and one of said elements being provided at its outer extremity with a finger-engaging part extending laterally across the corresponding outer extremities of the other elements.

2. A combination tool of the character described comprising an elongated handle having a recess therein for receiving a plurality of flat blade-like tools disposed in flatwise engagement with each other, said tools being commonly pivoted at one end of the handle for movement into and out of said recess, each of said tools being engageable with an adjacent tool whereby upon movement of one of said tools outwardly of said recess, its next adjoining tool is engaged thereby and also moved outwardly of the recess, the interengaging means between the several tools being in the form of surface projections on certain of said tools, each of which projections is engageable with only one peripheral edge of the tool next adjoining the tool having one of said projections, said interengaging means being relatively so arranged asto permit each of the several tools to be shifted relatively to its next adjoining tool in one direction, and the outermost one of said tools being provided with a finger-engaging part at its outer free extremity to efiect conjoint movement of the interengaged tools outwardly of said handle recess in an opposite direction.

HERBERT H. MIDDLETON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

